Changes Are Coming to ACCUPLACER

Minnesota State has set a timeline for moving to Next-generation ACCUPLACER. Current ACCUPLACER tests in reading, writing, and mathematics will sunset in December 2018. Next-Generation ACCUPLACER tests in reading, writing, and mathematics will be available starting in January 2019. Campuses will begin using Next-Gen ACCUPLACER for summer 2019 and Fall 2019 students. Minnesota State and campuses will complete activities to transition during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Next-Generation ACCUPLACER placement tests more effectively help institutions place students in classes that match their skill level, and include texts and tasks encountered in first-year college courses. The new tests:

• Align to the same content domain continuum as the SAT Suite of Assessments
• Help institutions improve course placement accuracy
• Reflect the changing landscape of higher education with math sequences aligned to clear pathways

Inside the Tests

READING

Next-Generation Reading assesses the test-taker’s ability to derive meaning from a range of texts and to determine the meaning of words and phrases in short and extended contexts. Passages on the test cover a range of content areas, writing modes, and complexities. Both single and paired passages are included. Four broad knowledge and skills categories are assessed:

• Information and Ideas
• Rhetoric
• Synthesis
• Vocabulary

WRITING

Next-Generation Writing evaluates a test-taker’s ability to revise and edit multi-paragraph text. Questions cover two broad knowledge and skills categories, each containing three subcategories:

Expression of Ideas

• Development
• Organization
• Effective Language Use

Standard English Conventions

• Sentence Structure
• Usage
• Punctuation

MATH

Next-Generation Arithmetic focuses on computation, order of operations, estimation and rounding, comparing and ordering values in different formats, and recognizing equivalent values across formats. The following knowledge and skills categories are assessed:

• Whole Number Operations
• Fraction Operations
• Decimal Operations
• Percent
• Number Comparisons and Equivalents

Next-Generation Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS) assesses the following knowledge and skills:

• Rational numbers
• Ratio and Proportional Relationships
• Exponents
• Algebraic Expressions
• Linear Equations
• Linear Applications and Graphs
• Probability Sets
• Descriptive Statistics
• Geometry Concepts

Next-Generation Advanced Algebra and Functions (AAF) assesses the following knowledge and skills:

• Linear Equations
• Linear Applications and Graphs
• Factoring
• Quadratics
• Functions
• Radical and Rational Equations
• Polynomial Equations
• Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
• Trigonometry

Do you prepare learners to take ACCUPLACER®? If so, you may be interested in the changes that Minnesota State has planned for ACCUPLACER. Please join us for these upcoming webinars designed specifically for the Adult Basic Education field:

Next Generation Overview

Monday, September 18, 2017
2:00-3:00 pm CST
Meeting number (access code): 638 286 006
Meeting password: EkcMDHB6
Join the webinar >>
Join by phone: 1-866-469-3239

Next Generation Transition (MN)

Monday, October 30, 2017
2:00-3:00 pm CST
Meeting number (access code): 636 810 752
Meeting password: Nkp522FQ
Join the webinar >>
Join by phone: 1-866-469-3239

NOTE: There is no pre-registration for these webinars. On the day of the webinar, click the “Join the webinar” link, or call in using the toll-free number listed here.